New York Times Brooks, Bruni and Friedman Miss the Key Problem

In today’s NY Times, there is a third opinion – in as many days – about higher education.  This one is by Thomas Friedman, It Takes a Mentor – NYTimes.com. The others are by David Brooks and Frank Bruni (See here.).  Though they contain what would be good suggestions, if only colleges were all well meaning institutions, they are wasted ideas for now.  (See my comments for links to their opinions.)  I find it frustrating that so many people either ignore, or misread the data – as I believe Bruni and and Friedman did.  See my comment for Bruni.  Here is my comment on Friedman.

Not “..two things stand out..”. Three stand out. And they don’t stand out for just any graduate. They stand out for “employed” graduates.

This is from “Great Jobs, Great Lives The 2014 Gallup-Purdue Index Report”:

“If an employed graduate had a professor who cared about them as a person [That’s 1 thing] , one who made them excited about learning [That’s 2.], and had a mentor who encouraged them to pursue their dreams [That’s 3.], the graduate’s odds of being engaged at work more than doubled. Only 14% of graduates have had all three” (from page 7 of the report)

And what is “employed”? From page 8, we have this.

“..the majority of graduates (57%) surveyed in the Gallup-Purdue Index study are employed full time for an employer..”

How did I know how something sounded a little too good? I’m a retired professor. I know how much of a scam higher education has become, mainly through marketing to uneducated consumers – formerly called “students”.

While having good intentions, three NY Times columnists (Bruni, Brooks and Friedman), in three days, have fallen into the trap of not believing just how corrupt and self-aggrandizing colleges have become. Without that understanding not even good ideas about what colleges “should do”, will matter. The colleges will just say, “OK, great, we will do that.” and then tell their marketing people to get to work.

Nothing will matter until we realize how unscrupulous college administrators and college professors can be.